blake
TRANSCRIPT
William Blake
Born November 28, 1757London, England
Died August 12, 1827London, England
69 years oldhttp://www.johnmitchell.org/art_gallery.htm
Blake’s life
Early yearsBegan his artistic
career at 10 years old when his father sent him to the best drawing school in England
Apprenticed to an engraver at 14
Adult lifeAlways worked as an
engraver and professional artist
Was very poor, especially later in life
Always felt rich in spirit
Blake’s art
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/blake/ http://www.metmuseum.org/special/William_Blake/15.R.htm
Blake’s life
His life is considered “simple,” “boring,” when compared to the lives of his contemporaries (Coleridge, Shelley, Keats)
Married to the same woman most of his life
Never traveled
Blake’s Wife
Married Catherine Boucher in 1782
They were married until his death in 1827
She assisted with the printing and hand coloring of his poems
http://www.metmuseum.org/special/William_Blake/11.R.htm
Blake’s Death
Suffered in his last years “that Sickness to which there is no name.”Probably biliary cirrhosisCaused by prolonged exposure to the fumes
produced when acid is applied to copper plates
This was one of his methods of engraving
Miscellaneous Blake facts
Claimed to see visions of angels, spirits, and ghosts of kings and queens
First vision seen at ○ age 4 (God at the window)○ age 9 (tree filled with angels)
Favorite brother Robert died and came back to William in a vision to teach him an engraving technique
Saw visions until his death; on his deathbed, burst into song about the things he saw in Heaven
More Blake Facts
Arrested twice:1783: he and two other artists were arrested
and accused of spying; were finally released once it was verified they were not French spies
1803: put on trial for pushing a soldier out of his garden, allegedly saying, “Damn the king. All the soldiers are slaves.”
Blake’s Poetry Work received little attention during his
lifetime
Most of his poetry was not widely published
When his work was noticed, people thought it (and therefore Blake himself) was weird, confused, or mad
“I Must create a systeM or Be enslaved By another Man’s.” Illustrated most of his poems as well as those of
other writers Printed most of his poetry himself
http://4umi.com/image/art/blake/introduction.jpghttp://wiredforbooks.org/blake/milton2a.jpg http://colophon.com/gallery/minsky/jpegs/blakemh2.jpg
Blake’s “roMantIc” tendencIes
If we see with our imaginations, we see the infinite; if we see with our reason, we see only ourselves
Believed everything in life (every object, every event) was a symbol with a mystical or spiritual meaning
His poems spoke out against social injustice
His poetry and art reflect his struggles with the big spiritual questions:Why is there evil?Why do evil people sometimes prosper?Why do the innocent suffer?
Blake BiBliographyPoetical Sketches (1783) All Religions Are One (1788)There Is No Natural Religion (1788) Songs of Innocence (1789)The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790) Visions of the Daughters of Albion (1793) America, a Prophecy (1793) For Children: The Gates of Paradise (1793) Europe, a Prophecy (1794) Songs of Experience (1794) The First Book of Urizen (1794) The Song of Los (1795) The Book of Ahania (1795) The Book of Los (1795) For the Sexes: The Gates of Paradise (1820)
http://www.gailgastfield.com/mhh/mhh1.jpg
SongS of innocence and experience (1794) Subtitle: “The Contrary States of the Human
Soul”
Innocence: genuine love, trust toward humankind, unquestioned belief in Christianity
Experience: disillusionment with human nature and society
Poems in either “Innocence” or “Experience” are colored by the speaker’s state